5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DIEGO BRANDAO'S FIGHT AT UFC 153

October 9, 2012

By Anton Gurevich

The UFC returns to Brazil this weekend (October 13th), headlined by the highly-intriguing fight between Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar. The Ultimate Fighter winner and VFD Sports fighter Diego “Boom” Brandao is fighting on the same card, facing Joey Gambino LIVE on FX. This is a highly important bout for Brandao, who will be looking to prove he’s still one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC Featherweight division.

Here are five things you definitely should know about Diego Brandao’s fight in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.

1. Natural Born Killer

Diego Brandao is a finisher. With eight knockouts and four submission victories in his MMA career, Brandao has established his status as a force to be reckoned with at 145. Prior to fighting Darren Elkins at UFC 146, Diego Brandao was on a four-fight win streak, with three first round finishes.

2. Joey Gambino

This will be an exciting fight! Joey Gambino is an explosive fighter with fantastic ground game. Brandao is always looking to get his hands on one (or more) of the fight night awards, just like he did in his famous TUF 14 Finale victory over Dennis Bermudez (Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night). Styles make fights, and Gambino is definitely type of a fighter to have an exciting fight with Diego Brandao.

3. 1,628 miles

That’s the distance between Diego Brandao’s birthplace, Fortaleza (the state capital of Ceará district), and the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Make no mistake about it, Diego’s fans, friends and family will be there to cheer for him on Saturday night. Brandao is a huge fan-favorite in Brazil, and will definitely get the cheers he deserves. More than anything, this will be the first time Diego fights in Rio.

4. Seven years of fighting

Diego Brandao will celebrate seven years of professional MMA competition against Joey Gambino. Brandao made his debut back on October 1st, 2005, winning his fight with Michel Addario Bastos via Submission. Brandao fought through ups and downs in his life and career to become one of the most recognizable fighters in the UFC. Brandao is a true warrior, both inside and outside the Octagon.

5. Where to watch?

Diego Brandao vs. Joey Gambino will be aired LIVE on FX. This will be a second fight on FX portion of the card, which will go live at 8PM Eastern / 5PM Pacific.